


no dawn, no day

by tobedecided



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Character Study, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, POV Steve Rogers, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 04:12:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14762370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobedecided/pseuds/tobedecided
Summary: After receiving a cryptic distress call from theMilano, Steve leaves Wakanda with Thor and Rocket for a rescue mission on a distant planet. Morale is low and hearts are heavy in the aftermath of Thanos' snap, which is why the last thing Steve expects to find on Titan turns out to be what he needs the most — hope.





	no dawn, no day

**Author's Note:**

> tw: (very) brief reference to suicide

“Odd,” Thor commented amongst the silence. He pointed to the orange, hazy sky. “Titan was known to have seven moons. I see only six.” 

Steve raised his head and confirmed Thor’s observation.

Just as they had begun morning the dead in Wakanda, Rocket's communicator received a transmission with coordinates for a distant planet called Titan. A small part of Steve thought it could be a trap, though he ultimately dismissed this feeling. The fight was over. What was there left to lose?

They arrived on Titan through use of Thor’s new weapon, Stormbreaker. Traveling through the Bifrost, as Thor called it, was unlike anything Steve could’ve imagined. He had felt as though he walked through a wind tunnel, cold air pushing violently against his skin. From the time it took him to blink, they had left Wakanda and landed on Titan.

Steve wondered if Stormbreaker had the same principles as Mjolnir, if one’s worthiness determined their ability to wield the axe. He had observed Thor’s hesitation to pick up the weapon after Thanos’ disappearance, almost as if he was expecting not to be able to lift it.

_“But if you put the hammer in an elevator…”_

_“It would still go up!”_

_“Elevator’s not worthy.”_

Steve shook his head as he recalled his lighthearted conversation with Tony and Thor at the Avengers facility all those years ago. It was a silly memory, he wasn’t sure why he even thought of it. He wiped at his eyes before the tears were able to fully form. With Tony gone, he’ll have to live with the unspoken words, the apologies that should never have been cowardly written in a letter.

He couldn’t help but feel guilty about leaving behind those who remained in Wakanda. The nation was in mourning, having lost T’Challa and thousands of others. The responsibility of Black Panther now belonged to Shuri, who was still grieving for her brother. Okoye explained to him that that once the proper ceremonies were completed, Shuri would become the first female Black Panther, a title she had longed for since she was a child. Yet, under the circumstances, she couldn’t bear to go near the Throne Room, despite the requests of their elders, her mother included.

Steve felt ashamed for what little he understood of their host nation’s customs. Thankfully, Okoye was patient and told him that Wakandan tradition allowed for a challenger to seek the throne before coronation. Until the ceremony, it was unknown if anyone would challenge Shuri, but Okoye highly doubted this possibility. After Thanos, all of Wakanda mourned together, regardless of tribal differences.

Apparently M’Baku, the leader of a neighboring tribe, challenged T’Challa after the death of T’Chaka. Yet, Steve witnessed how T'Challa and M'Baku regarded each other as brothers, as a united force. They didn't let their past hold them back.

The fact that T’Challa’s own coronation challenger had taken up arms beside them and joined them in the fight against Thanos spoke highly of T’Challa’s own abilities as an empathetic leader — a power separate from that of Black Panther, one that derived from within. Steve felt honored to have fought alongside him.

He knew he could never come close to repaying T’Challa for what he had done to help Bucky, but now, he would never get the chance.

Half the world’s leaders were gone as well, dictators and presidents alike. Steve overheard that back home in the States, the line of succession had fallen all the way down to the Secretary of Transportation. Clearly Ross hadn’t been among those spared from the dust.

Around the world, government and economies were unstable, coups were forming. It was chaos.

Natasha objected to him leaving for Titan for both personal and tactical reasons, but her protests weren’t enough to make him change his mind. The prospect of leaving Earth, albeit temporarily, appealed to him highly.

Every time he closed his eyes, Steve saw Bucky disappear right before him — arms stretched out, close enough to hear Bucky mutter his name, confused, but too far to reach him before he turned to dust. This scene, coupled with memories of that day on the train all those years ago lit up painful reminders of yet another failure to look out for the one person who meant the most to him.

He had finally gotten his best friend back, only to lose him in another war. Was this a soldier’s curse?

_We’re not soldiers!_

Tony’s words from the Helicarrier ripped fresh across Steve’s mind, now more appropriate than ever. It was true, after all, he was no longer Captain America, despite the rest of the team failing to address him as anything else but  _Captain_. That title didn’t represent what he stood for now, having been labeled as a public enemy of the country he nearly died protecting.

Yet, he still fought for those who couldn’t. He didn’t need to be Captain America to do that.

A stateless vigilante, they called him. How appropriate.

If Natasha and Sam hadn’t stuck with him the past two years, he wasn’t sure he’d be entirely sane. Running missions together had a two-part benefit: keeping busy and giving back. Though, he’d be the first to admit that working underground had begun to take its toll. He didn’t hold it against Clint and Scott for leaving for their families. He would’ve done the same if he had a family of his own — but he didn’t. Not anymore.

Despite all this pent up anger and frustration, he often found himself missing his shield. He wondered if Tony still had it.

Without his shield and what it represented, a part of him felt the real Captain America died 70 years ago in the Arctic, with the role he played since New York just a pieced-together representation of jaded ideals and misplaced nostalgia. The fall of SHIELD served as his true wake-up call for the future. And with that, Bucky’s reappearance in his life as the tortured Winter Soldier reminded him of just how much he had lost.

He told Vision they don’t trade lives. He meant it.

Yet, Vision called him out on his bullshit. It wasn’t unwarranted; he laid down his life when he crashed that plane into the Arctic, leaving behind the promise of a dance and the unspoken possibility of something more. One life for millions. He’d do it again in a heartbeat. 

The thing is, the choice is easier when it’s your life being dealt the losing hand.

He couldn’t let Vision sacrifice himself when they still had other options.

Armed with hindsight, he wondered if they had been naive. Did they make the mistake of underestimating Thanos? Or did they overestimate themselves?

In the aftermath, Steve understood loss was an inevitable part of his reality. 

He had helped Rhodes search for hours looking for Sam, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

It had only been three days since Thanos disappeared, and the death toll kept climbing just as Steve feared it would. He came to the tragic conclusion that they will probably never know the exact number of lives lost. The global count would only include those reported missing by governments on behalf of friends and loved ones — which means that those who had no one while they were still alive will be left unreported. Millions of lives would be left unremembered.

Steve felt sick, yet managed to hold back the bile. He couldn’t break down here, not now.

The raccoon — named Rocket, as he had learned — was still distraught from the loss of Groot, his tree friend. Yet, the distress signal granted him a sense of hope that the rest of his crew survived. While Steve had lost everything, he wished for Rocket’s sake that his crew was alive and well.

Eventually, they approached the coordinates for the distress signal. A single ship could be made out in the distance. A blue figure appeared near the ship, it’s color stark in contrast to the muted orange tones of the desolate planet.

“That’s Nebula! Gamora’s sister,” Rocket provided. “Maybe the others…” He trailed off, not wanting to say the words out loud, only to be disappointed.

Together, the three of them made the the short trek over to the ship, praying Nebula wasn’t alone. Along the way, various gravitational pulls, or lack thereof, forced them to overcorrect their gait and balance. On more than one occasion, Steve found himself reaching out to grab Rocket before the latter floated away. The raccoon simply muttered his thanks, clearly uncomfortable with the contract, yet grateful that someone was watching over him.

“Nebula!” Rocket called out as they neared their destination. As they approached, they saw that the ship Nebula was resting on was missing a key component — the entire cockpit.

“You got my distress signal,” Nebula stated as she sized up the two men unknown to her. She leaned against the outside of the ship, shoulders slouched in defeat.

Steve tried his best not to stare at the alien, but he couldn’t help it. She appeared to be almost half-machine; the metal pieces bonded seamlessly to her body. Yet, at the same time, her soft, pained expression made her appear awfully human.

Rocket tapped his utility belt, which held his communicator. “If that’s what you call a distress signal. The transmission barely received. What happened to her? The  _Milano?”_ he asked, voice strained.

“A moon hit it,” Nebula said plainly. “Destroyed my pod as well. The coordinates were all I could do before the system crashed.”

“Where are the others?” Thor asked, voice low and tired. “Where is the Rabbit's crew?”

“Gone. Turned to dust.” Nebula looked away in attempt to hide any emotion that wasn’t pure rage. “Excluding my sister, of course. Thanos had the pleasure of killing her on Vormir in exchange for the Soul Stone.”

Steve watched helplessly as Rocket knelt down, shaky hands holding his face as he cried for the last of his crew.

Nebula pointed to Steve. “One of yours, a Terran survived. The Wizard made a deal to spare his life in exchange for the Time Stone.”

Steve froze, his breath caught in his throat. “What are you talking about?” he managed to ask calmly despite the racing thoughts in his brain.  _Was Tony alive?_

“ _Who_ are you talking about would be the more appropriate question,” Thor clarified. “Three of our allies were last seen on a ship leaving Earth. We haven’t been able to locate them.”

Steve remembered Bruce trying to explain this over the phone. Tony, along with a man named Stephen Strange — who quite literally lived up to his name, seeing as he was apparently a wizard protecting the Time Stone — and the young kid from Queens were on the alien spaceship that left Earth after destroying a sizable portion of the city.

After the initial shock of not hearing Tony on the other end, Steve noticed how Bruce dodged around his answer as to why he had the phone in the first place, the phone he had given to Tony with the promise of being there for him if he ever needed help.

Considering the invasion happened rather quickly and that Tony and Bruce had been in Midtown, Steve couldn't help but wonder if Tony had been carrying the phone with him, after all this time.

_No...that can’t be._

Two years of silence weighed down this possibility, leaving Steve grieving for the loss of their friendship, the camaraderie they crafted from years of being teammates. In the early days of the Avengers, they merely tolerated each other, often forgetting to leave the fight on the battlefield.

Steve hid it well from the rest of the team in DC, but he was hurt when Tony hadn’t reached out during the Malibu attack. Although, he later faulted himself for not bringing in Tony during SHIELD's fall and for the reappearance of the Winter Soldier. Steve often debated his past actions with himself, wondering that if he had involved Tony from the start, he would’ve found a way to explain the truth about what happened to Howard and Maria.

Steve shook his head, dismissing the  _what ifs._

“They called him Stark,” Nebula said, her words confirming Steve’s suspicion. “He is one of yours?”

“Yes,” Steve said immediately. “We’re the Avengers. The rest of our team fought Thanos on Earth.”

“A pointless fight as you know by now,” Nebula said with varied emotions shifting on her face. “I’ve tried many times to kill him myself.”

“We have a common goal, blue one.” Thor said, as he approached Nebula and held out a hand. “Join us on Midgard. You cannot face him alone and succeed.”

Nebula’s response was hesitated, but she eventually shook Thor’s hand, effectively forming a new alliance with the Avengers.

“Nebula, where’s Tony?” Steve asked.

“Resting back in the ship. Thanos stabbed him during their fight, but he used some Terran technology to seal the wound.”

Steve’s heart sank.

“Show us, please,” Thor thankfully made the request on Steve’s behalf, seeing as he was having trouble formulating coherent thoughts.

Tony was  _stabbed._  By Thanos. And survived.

“Follow me. He’s in one of the cots.”

As Nebula led them inside, Steve observed the ship Rocket had called the  _Milano_. Oddly enough, it reminded him of one of the modified Quinjets the Avengers used in their later missions.

Scattered around the floor were various clothes kicked into different corners with stacked boxes of metal scraps. One of the walls near the ship’s main communications post had multiple pictures hanging up. Steve observed Rocket shuffle over to one of the consoles, looking up at the faces of his crew with mournful eyes before taking down some of the pictures and carefully folding them into his pockets.

“Oh,” Nebula remarked. Did he detect surprise in her voice?

“What’s wrong?” Steve climbed up the ladder behind Thor and entered the bunk room.

“Our friend is not here,” Thor said as he double checked the different beds.

“He must have snuck out while I was checking the engine,” Nebula explained.

“We need to find Tony,” Steve said firmly, trying not to let his panic show. “Let’s split up. Don’t go too far. Meet back here if you can’t find him, alright?” He blinked, surprised at how easy it was to take lead, almost like he was their Captain. It was hard habit to drop, he realized.

They each took a separate direction from the  _Milano_. Due to the planet’s gravitational issues, Rocket went with Nebula in case he needed to be pulled back down again. By observing their interactions, Steve deduced that they had some sort of complicated relationship, which was only exaggerated by their shared loss. He didn’t ask for their history, though, not wanting to bring up past traumas when the one they were currently living was more than enough.

An overwhelming sense of loneliness crept up on him after he separated from the rest of the group. There was truly nothing else on this planet but them. It still shocked him how they were in space, that they arrived by some magical axe.

Steve’s history lessons after the Ice had told him about NASA, the space race with the USSR, and the moon landing. It was one thing he truly found interesting about the future, all the scientific progress that was made. Of course, his youthful ignorance of science and magic would later be shattered with the discovery of Red Skull’s work on the Tesseract. But he still thought back to simpler times when everyone was dreaming about flying cars and spaceflight was something he only read about in Bucky’s second-hand copies of  _Astounding Stories of Super-Science._

He frowned, conflicted. He desperately wanted to cling to memories of Bucky and their childhood, but his loss was still too fresh, too painful.

So he carried on. Knowing Thor and Rocket still had their comms put his mind at ease. Neither of them had unmuted their mics, though, leading to the unsettling conclusion that no one had found Tony yet.

_Except he just might have._

Steve paused, and looked twice around his shoulders before settling his gaze on a small, human like figure in the distance.

He quickly turned on his mic. “Thor? Rocket? Can you hear me? I think I’ve found Tony.”

 _“Aye, stay where you are,”_ Thor called out over the comms. _“I can come and collect you both.”_

“No,” Steve said. “Tony and I — we’ll need a moment. We’ll meet you all back at the ship.”

 _“Nebula and I will meet you back there, Thor,”_ Rocket confirmed.

Steve took off running toward the crouched figure, his heart pounding in his chest as he ran, only slowing down on his approach.

“Tony!”

Tony turned to look at him, his expression lifeless. He scoffed. “What, stabbing me with my own goddamn knife wasn’t enough? Now you’re taunting me with  _him_?” He gave a sad, bitter laugh.

Steve blinked. This wasn’t the reunion he was picturing. “Jesus, Tony, we thought you were dead.”

“Fuck off. I don’t need your little made-up reality,” Tony spat. “You won. Congratulations. You went all Tarsus-IV and destroyed half the universe.”

Steve stood still, confused and shocked at Tony’s reaction to him. His optimism about Tony’s condition began to deteriorate — yet one word caught his attention.

 _Reality_...

The Reality Stone. Had Thanos used it on Titan? Did Tony think it was being used now, after everything?

Steve took a few steps closer, but froze upon seeing the Tony tense up. He took this moment to observe Tony for the injuries Nebula had spoken of.

Tony sat, shoulders hunched. His body shook slightly as he held his right hand close to his chest, covering what looked like an arc reactor. Steve began to panic; Tony had removed the reactor years ago. Was something wrong with his heart?  _Oh god_ , Steve silently prayed that the reactor wasn’t replaced due to injuries from their fight in Siberia. Surely someone — Rhodes, probably — would’ve mentioned it. Steve doubted their reunion at the Avengers compound would’ve been as friendly if he had caused such damage.

Steve was deeply troubled by Tony's vacant look on his face, devoid of his typical demeanor. He was clearly haunted from whatever fight happened on Titan, though the answer was fairly obvious with the absence of Strange and Spider-Man. It pained him that he couldn't even remember the kid's name. He was certain Tony let it slip on the tarmac in Germany during their battle. But with their comms on opposite channels, it had been difficult to hear what the opposing side had been saying. The kid's name was something like...Peter, perhaps? Whatever it was, he had talent and more importantly, a good heart. Steve could see why Tony recruited him; he remembered seeing the New York footage on YouTube, wondering who was in the red and blue suit that swung effortlessly from building to building.

_Jesus, he was just a kid._

Tony looked wrecked, no doubt blaming himself for Spider-Man's death. Steve didn't need to know what happened on Titan to know this would be his default reaction. Tony wore his heart on his sleeve, often to his detriment.

Despite the facade he usually wore in public and for the media, Tony was incredibly easy to read once you were around him long enough. Steve found this out early on, after the Battle of New York. Tony had rarely let his guard down, but as the team grew closer, Steve began to pick up on the the little slip-ups here and there. Fatigue coupled with one too many drinks on the rooftop helped, too, of course. 

But then Fury shipped him off to DC with Natasha and he began to see less of Tony, who went back to Malibu, trying to escape the memories of New York. Steve wasn't there to see the warning signs, the fifty plus suits Tony built alone in his workshop.

He wondered if Tony would've let him help, had he been there. They had been friends, after all.

Steve flinched, remembering the genuine fear on Tony’s face as he brought down his shield on the arc reactor, vibranium easily slicing through the suit’s casing with a horrifying sound.

Knowing that Tony thought, for a split second that his aim would’ve been a little higher hurt him more than anything. For a mere second, Tony saw him as a killer.

In the twisted universe that often took the form of his nightmares, a darker version of himself _—_ distracted by Bucky's pained cries _—_ miscalculated the force of the shield, cutting just a little lower...a little deeper.

_(You know it didn’t end that way, Natasha would say as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder, comforting him after waking in the middle of the night. Go back to sleep, he’d reply, tired and embarrassed as he slipped a certain phone underneath his pillow. Regardless of his own needs, she needed the rest. They had been in this safehouse too long — they needed to move in the morning.)_

As Steve slid away from the damaged suit, and the beaten man inside, he could see on Tony’s face the slow realization that he, too, had almost become a killer.

They both had left Siberia broken men, in more ways than one.

It disgusted him how easily they were both undone.

But now... _Tony was alive_. Steve finally had his chance to repair the damage.

“Tony, you need help.  _Please_ , let me help you.”

“Help, huh? That's rich coming from you." Tony bit his lip, no doubt holding back vengeful words. Steve's not entirely sure he deserves such caution.

“You’ve been here for days without food or water and you need medical attention. Please, listen to me!” Steve pleads, fully aware his own barriers are breaking down.

Tony tilted his head towards him, as if considering for the first time that he might actually be standing there, that he wasn’t some illusion. “I don’t — what do you mean  _days_?”

“It’s already been three days on Earth since Thanos disappeared,” Steve said in disbelief.

Tony gave a weak laugh, void of any humor. “I hate space.” Tears welled in his eyes. “It sucks, it fucking sucks.”

As Steve neared Tony, his heart sank, realizing the scenario in front of him.

Steve heard the familiar whine of Iron Man’s gauntlet, only he could tell something was wrong with it. He saw that on Tony’s left hand, a broken repulsor sparked as if it was struggling to maintain its energy; the edges of the broken metal thinned out as it went down his arm, barely reaching Tony’s elbow. Despite the damage sustained to the gauntlet, Tony laid it flat in his lap, the palm of the immobile repulsor facing up towards his head.

“Please don't look at me like that,” Tony said, his voice soft, just above a whisper.

“Tony—” Steve started.

Tony ignored him. “I can’t make myself do it now, not after…” he trailed off.

“After what?” Steve knelt down to Tony’s level, hesitating to make physical contact despite the immense need to feel comfort himself.

“Strange traded my life for the stone. Don't you see? I’m responsible for billions of lives lost. If only I had been faster — god, I could’ve stopped him,” Tony wept. “All these years I saw him coming and I still failed. You know, they used to call me the ‘Merchant of Death’ back in the day.” He paused, voice thick and raw. “I suppose this was always going to be my legacy.”

“I don’t know why you think so little of yourself."

Tony raised a brow. “Really? Where have you been the past six years?”

Now that Steve was closer to Tony, he could see there appeared to be some thin film covering a wound on his side. The dried blood surrounding the skin and tattered jacket made it clear he needed medical as soon as they touched down on Earth.

Tony frowned as he ever so slightly shook his head. “How do I know this is real?”

Steve reached for Tony’s hand without the gauntlet and pressed it against his own chest so Tony could feel his heartbeat.“This is  _real_. I'm not here because of an Infinity Stone."

Tony closed his eyes, fresh tears escaping from the corners. “You died. I saw it,” he said in denial.

Steve was nearly as confused as Tony appeared to be. “What are you talking about?”

“It was true, all of it happened. She showed me.”

With that, Steve finally understood. “Wanda. You’re talking about Wanda?” He thought back to Ultron and the visions Wanda had crafted for each of them. What was only years ago felt like eons compared to the hell they were currently living in.

“I don’t blame her for Ultron," Tony said out of nowhere. "I don’t think I ever did. Those thoughts were always there, always on my mind like some sort of curse. All she did was give a little push and then I was — you were all —” Tony raised his head slowly to meet Steve's eyes. “I saw the world on fire. I knew what was coming. But with the Accords, I could've —”

“Tony —" Steve calmly interrupted, only to have Tony talk over him.

"Please, Steve, I know you have things you want to say, but before you say them, I want you to know that I forgive him. Barnes."

Steve blinked. "You do?"

"It wasn't him," Tony said simply.

Steve couldn't muster up the emotional energy to tell Tony that Bucky was gone. But by the way Tony was looking at him, expectantly, waiting for Steve's response, he figured Tony had already reached the conclusion.

"No. No it wasn't." 

"But you, Steve. You were... _you_. You lied, and even though you'll probably say it was an omission, not a lie, and sure...maybe it was," Tony paused, trying to formulate his words. "I'm still having trouble getting past that, and it tears me apart. I'm so  _tired_  of being angry. I don't want to do this anymore."

"Tony, I never meant to hurt you," Steve looked at Tony, begging him to understand. "You have every right to be angry, I know I handled it wrong. Bucky was my blindspot and I had just gotten him back. Then the Accords happened. I was afraid. I was scared of losing him again. But I messed up. In the end, I lost both of you.  _I'm sorry._ "

"I know you are!" Tony threw his hands up. "So why can't I find it in myself to forgive you? What the hell is wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you."

Tony froze, caught off guard by Steve's response.

"My therapist would disagree with that," Tony mumbled, a weak attempt at trying to deflect from the seriousness of the situation.

"You have a therapist?" Steve asked without any judgement.

"Yeah, since the Mandarin incident, because we all know how well I handled _that._ " Tony gave one of his self-deprecating laughs and Steve felt his heart ache. "Bruce took on the role for a hot minute, but after the third time he fell asleep we figured I should find a professional."

"You could've come to me." Steve placed a hand on Tony's shoulder and was surprised it wasn't pushed away.

Tony smiled weakly. "Steve, we were both on opposite sides of the country."

They sat there together in silence. Steve had let his hand fall down to Tony's arm, holding it tight as if there was a chance he could disappear, too. In response to this, Tony shifted his position to rest his head lightly on Steve's shoulder.

"I miss you," Steve said. He felt Tony's breath catch against him.

"You have a beard."

"You're engaged," Steve offered his own non-sequitor.

Tony frowned. "She begged me not to go. And I went anyway. Have you heard — I mean, do you know if she..."

Steve shook his head. "Rhodey left to go check on her right before I went with Thor and Rocket."

"Right. No worries," Tony sighed, clearly worrying. After a moment, he asked, "Who's Rocket?"

"He's a — you'll see. Thor is waiting with him and Nebula back at the Guardian's ship. We should go."

Tony didn't make a move to leave. "I should've died here."

Steve froze at the thought. "Tony, listen to me. We can’t undo what happened today, or even two years ago. But tomorrow is another day and I don’t want to — I know can't face whatever’s next without you by my side.”

Something sparked behind Tony's tired eyes and Steve prayed it was hope, or at least the energy to keep fighting.

"Strange used his magic to see 14 million futures and as many possibilities. He was certain there was only one where we win this," Tony said. "Right now? This feels a lot like we lost. What else can we possibly do?”

“Thanos will come back, we can't assume that he won't. Until then, we can avenge the dead while we protect those still living.”

“Because that worked out so well last time,” Tony said flatly.

"I'm not leaving here without you, Shellhead."

Tony's eyes widened. Steve hadn't called him that in years.

"Fine," Tony said, realizing that if he didn't agree, Steve would end up carrying him back to whoever was waiting for them. With his injuries, he was in no position to argue. "Just give me a second." He held his face in his hands, and Steve allowed him this moment to compose himself.

“Ready?” Steve asked after a few minutes, knowing that Thor, Rocket, and Nebula were going to come look for them if they didn't leave now.

He stood up next to Tony and held out a hand out, positioning himself in case Tony needed help standing with his injury. He watched as Tony looked away briefly, his eyes searching for something before ultimately fixating on the ground where black dust met red clay.

“No.” Tony took Steve’s hand anyway.

Together they stood, with Steve supporting Tony as they walked towards the  _Milano_ to regroup with the others.

The war may have ended, Steve thought to himself, but reconstruction had just begun.

**Author's Note:**

> AHHH I find Steve so hard to write, so I hope I did him justice here. Also~ as a disclaimer (?), I'm not trying to add to the Team Tony vs. Team Steve debate, if that's still going on in fandom (lol i hope not.) Hopefully it came across that they both people who made very human mistakes and that they both deserve our love. :)


End file.
